Pope Hyginus
Hyginus | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Rome | |
Statue of Pope Hyginus in St. Peter's Basilica | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Papacy began | c. 136 |
| Papacy ended | c. 142 |
| Predecessor | Telesphorus |
| Successor | Pius I |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hyginus |
| Died | 142 Rome, Italy, Roman Empire |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 11 January |
Pope Hyginus (Greek: Υγίνος) was the bishop of Rome from c. 138 to his death in c. 142. Tradition holds that during his papacy he determined the various prerogatives of the clergy and defined the grades of the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
Hyginus instituted godparents at baptism to assist the baptised during their Christian life. He also decreed that all churches be consecrated. He is said to have died a martyr, though no records verify this. The chronology of the early bishops of Rome cannot be determined with any degree of exactitude today.